


War of Hearts

by notaliteraltoad



Series: Be Mine (Fallout Soulmate AU) [7]
Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-03
Updated: 2019-01-03
Packaged: 2019-08-26 15:44:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16684459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notaliteraltoad/pseuds/notaliteraltoad
Summary: Nora's soul timer didn't move a second while she was in cryo; but now, two hundred years after she was supposed to die, it's started ticking again. It feels like a miracle - but she knows nothing ever goes smoothly in the Commonwealth.





	1. Chapter 1

_One hour, six minutes, nineteen seconds._

_One hour, six minutes, eighteen seconds._

_One hour, six minutes, seventeen seconds._

The little black timer against Nora's wrist ticked down the seconds - seconds that felt like a hundred years each. Each time her golden eyes drifted down to those little numbers the entire world seemed to slow, the buzz of Goodneighbour filtering out until it was only her and that little built in clock.

"Staring at your wrist again? It's not gonna go any faster just because you keep glaring at it."

Nora didn't look up; not even as the sofa bounced and a pair of skinny legs threw themselves across her knee. She just huffed, heart fluttering, and watched as the clock shifted another second.

_One hour, five minutes exactly._

"Fuck, the way you've been pining away, I hope your soulmate isn't a letdown. Na, I bet they're great. The Preston type - all tall and dashingly handsome but a real nice guy too. Seems like someone you'd go for."

Finally Nora's eyes flickered up and her lips pursed into a frown - until he gaze settled on the grin that split across Hancock's face. His own gaze was hazy - jet, probably - but the grin stretched across taught, ghoulish skin was unmistakable. It brought a little lopsided smile to her own face; though it didn't help the queasiness settling in her stomach. "Shut up, Hancock," she replied, voice warm - and socked him in the shoulder.

"Ouch! Hey, you-"

"It's what you get for teasing me!" Nora replied - and as she stretched out to flick the faded tricorn adorning his head her sleeve fell down, hiding her soulmark from view. "Don't be a dick."

"I wasn't," he replied, and his lips formed a pout, "but you've been thinking about that damned soulmark all week, and you're acting like your mother just died or something."

Okay, so she was moping. She had every right! She shouldn't even have this chance - she was two hundred years out of time. How was her soulmate still even alive? Unless there was some other cryo vault hidden somewhere, she didn't see how it was possible. Unless. Oh! Realisation sparked in her brain and it was so _obvious._

"My soulmate's a ghoul!" The words tumbled from her lips almost before they registered in her own mind - and then her lips curved, grinning so widely it _hurt._  "Everything makes so much sense!"

"You what now?" Hancock replied - and he quirked the remnants of one sparse blonde brow, hazy eyes regarding her as if she wasn't quite there.

Nora shoved him again, tiny hands gently pushing against a boney shoulder. "I didn't understand how my soulmate was still alive after all this time.  Like maybe it was a glitch or something. But they might be a pre war ghoul!"

Dark eyes narrowed, lips pursing as Hancock raised a hand to his chin - but then they widened, a small huff of breath leaving his lips. "Ooohh, yeah, could be." Hancock perched himself on his elbows, peering at Nora from underneath the shadow of his tricorn. There was a lazy grin spread across his lips that spelled trouble. "You're gonna find out in an hour. You want something to take the edge off?"

A snort left her mouth, sarcastic response on the tip of her tongue - but really, he was just trying to help in the best way he knew how. "I'm fine, Hancock. You know the worst I do is alcohol."

"You're loss," he replied with a quiet chuckle -  and as he collapsed back onto the sofa with a grunt, a bright red inhaler appeared in his hands. Nora watched idly as he took a drag, inhaling deeply, and let his eyes slip closed.

And that was all she was getting out of him tonight. 

Nora sat there for a moment, bouncing her leg despite the fact Hancock's own legs were tossed across her lap. Silence enveloped her and usually it was soothing, the quiet in the State House, but it was _too much._ Short fingers added to the jittering legs, tapping against the worn arm of the sofa. She had to get out of there. Clear her head, breathe fresh air, _anything._

Besides, she wasn't going to meet her soulmate holed up here - not unless someone came storming in looking for Hancock. Which, admittedly, wasn't _entirely_ impossible.

She cast Hancock a glance - and even in the dimness of the evening, with only candles to illuminate his ghoulish face, Nora knew he was gone. Must have been nice, letting jet take away all his troubles. 

With a heavy sigh and a flutter in her chest, Nora gently moved his legs away; he muttered something she couldn't _quite_ hear and she replied by patting his knee and whispering, "I'm heading to the third rail. See you tomorrow."

She left him there in his own little world, daydreaming about whatever the hell it was Hancock dreamed about. Probably sex - or more chems. Or sex while on chems. But Nora's mind was only on one thing.

As she grabbed her leather jacket from its little peg, her eyes dipped down to her soulmark. _Fifty-seven minutes, one second._  For a brief moment she let her fingers trace across the numbers, hand twitchy and jittery. Then her soulmark disappeared from view, hidden from the world as she shrugged on her coat and lurched open the enormous doors.

The breeze hit her immediately; a cool, fresh feeling that washed over her skin, stinging her cheeks. That restless energy churning inside of her ebbed away if only for a moment, carried away by the wind.

Sucking in a deep breath, she hurried across the dilapidated town - until finally she found herself slipping into the almost stifling heat of the Third Rail.

Ham greeted her silently as he always did; just a nod and the tiny quirk of an almost-smile. Then she descended the broken elevator, path lit by tiny candles.

Magnolia stood where she always did, sequined dress glinting in the low light and her voice drifting through the cramped room. Just hearing that beautiful melody made Nora sigh - and it felt like Magnolia's voice was seeping into her very bones. Even if she wasn't in for a drink, just being there made her spirits brighter.

"Care for a drink?" Whitechapel Charlie questioned in that painfully English accent - and it made Nora smile as she hoisted herself onto a bar stool. "You're usual, I take it?"

"Thanks, Charlie." Nora didn't mention that she wasn't really there to drink - but she slipped onto the stool anyway, crossing her legs even though it made the high waist of her jeans dig into her stomach. At least it stopped her from jostling her leg. Still, she tapped her fingers against the bar top as she gazed across the room, eyes searching each unfamiliar face - for a spark of recognition maybe, or a glimpse of a timer matching her own. 

No one gave her a second glance. If her soulmate was there, it wasn't time yet anyway.

Suddenly something cool was pressed into her hands an she turned, brows raised. When her eyes snapped down, there was a glass of wine clutched in her slender hands.

"That tapping is getting quite irritating. May I suggest you don't disturb the other patrons." Charlie couldn't quirk a brow or pull his lips into a frown - but his words, accented by that English voice, were enough.

Ducking her head, Nora ignored the little stutter in her chest. "Of course. Sorry." She managed an embarrassed smile as her eyes darted down to her drink; a glass of red wine, something far too fancy for Goodneighbour - or the Commonwealth in general, really. But sometimes it was nice to just indulge in her old world habits. Nora curled her hand around the stem of the glass, relishing in how cool it felt against her palms. When she took a sip of the dark liquid, a small sigh escaped her lips.

Maybe after another few of these, she would loosen up enough to stop _worrying._ Yeah, because meeting her soulmate while totally trashed was an _excellent_ idea.

Instead of gulping it down like she so wanted to, Nora took another sip, savouring the acidic - and, honestly, slightly stale - taste as the chatter of the bar echoed behind her. She found her shoulders relaxing, the tension draining from her body as she listened to the idle gossip of a table behind her - and she couldn't make out the words, not really, but it was so _nice_ to hear two people enjoying themselves. Maybe, in just over an hour, that might be her and her soulmate.

Eventually the bustle of the Third Rail drifted to the back of her mind, the mingling of voices and footsteps fading until it was only a background buzz. Her glass of wine slowly drained; though she didn't ask for another.

The next time she allowed herself to glance down at the little black numbers on her wrist, she found her hands hovering just above her sleeve. She just couldn't force herself to peel it back, couldn't force herself to read those numbers. She sucked in a breath, pushing down the butterflies squirming in her stomach and braced herself.

_Four minutes and eight seconds._

Her cheeks, already dusted pink from the warmth of the bar, flushed __scarlet.__  She had wasted almost an hour here and it was so close, less than half an hour away! What was she supposed to do? Stay here and let her soulmake come to her, or try to look for the person she had no name or face for? What if she did go looking and then they came here, and she missed them entirely?

Her stomach rolled and her chest fluttered, the anxiousness settling deep in her gut. The alcohol hadn't helped; even just one drink had that familiar lightheaded feeling descending upon her. Swallowing thickly, she pushed the empty glass away and hauled herself to her feet. She didn't know what to do - but she did know that staying was going to drive her crazy.

Magnolia's soft voice drifted across the Third Rail as Nora moved past a group of men chattering away - and she sounded so beautiful, so ethereal that even if Nora didn't know the song, it seemed to whisk away all of her unease. By the time she passed Magnolia's little makeshift stage she was left with a soft smile across her lips and a lightness in her chest.

Trust Magnolia to always help, even if she wasn't aware of it. 

Nora's dark eyes skimmed across Magnolia and for a moment their eyes locked - Magnolia smiled and it was almost as if she knew, but Nora hadn't spoken a word of her timer to anyone except for Hancock. Even so, Nora found a beaming smile cross her lips as she raised her hand for a wave. 

And then Magnolia went back to her song, voice as sultry and gorgeous as ever, and Nora was left alone inside the crowded bar.

She tugged her sleeve down across her soulmark and wondered if perhaps Magnolia had seen it peeking from underneath the thick leather jacket. Soft features scrunched as she let her eyes rove across the room, darting from one unfamiliar face to the next as her pulse thundered in her ears. She felt too hot, cheeks flushed and blood __boiling__  in her veins, sweat clinging to the inside of her thick leather jacket.

Nora wasn't even aware that she was moving until she felt her hand clutch the cool elevator banister. The metal was firm under her iron grip, quickly warming from the heat of her sweaty palm. Gasping out a breath, Nora all but collapsed against the stairs as her entire body was drained of every last drop of strength. 

When she finally looked up her eyes rested on Ham at the top of the elevator - letting out a shaky breath, she gave him a wave.

"Too much to drink?" he questioned - and even though he was as stoic as ever, there was the faintest hint of a laugh in his gruff voice.

If only he knew that was the _opposite_ of her issue.

"I'm fine," she replied - but her voice shook, and she wondered if he had even heard from all the way up there. She took a moment to straighten out and brush down her hair - which she was sure was a sweaty, crumpled mess - before slowly climbing the steps to stand by Ham's side.

He raised the remnants of a brow in question, but his face remained like stone. "You don't smell of alcohol. You had jet?"

"No," Nora replied, and her eyes dipped to the floor, "I'm just... preoccupied with something." She tugged down her sleeve again even though the leather came down almost to her fingertips. At least this enormous old hand-me-down from Preston was good for something. "I'm not here to cause trouble."

"Good." Ham just nodded - and just like that, the conversation was over.

Which meant Nora had two choices; wander around outside in the hopes she found her soulmate, or go back downstairs and have another drink. Even if the latter sounded great, Nora's legs made the decision for her; carrying her to the double doors of the Third Rail and then outside, where cool  evening air hit her face and the dim streetlights cast her in a gentle yellow glow.

Nora only made it one step before she felt her shoulder smack into something sturdy, hard, and decidedly person-shaped.

At precisely that same second Nora's mind lit up, her skin aflame, and she felt the little _ding_  of her timer hitting zero.


	2. Chapter 2

Nora's body was frozen in place, shoulders tense and arms held rigidly by her side; but her mind was a blur of activity - questions flew by so fast there wasn't time to form a sentence. Just fractured words that her mouth couldn't speak.

Dark eyes flickered up - and _up,_ trailing along a broad torso to meet vast shoulders and a strong jaw. Then milky white eyes set deep in a strong, angular face. Leathery skin stretched across sharp cheekbones, tanned but pockmarked.

So she was right; he was a ghoul. Despite the pounding of her pulse in her ears, Nora smiled.

"Nora Bentley?"

The voice, gruff but not unpleasant, caused her to jump. Her heart fluttered in her chest and suddenly she was far too aware of the sweat dampening her palms. How did he know her name? "That's me," she replied - and god, her voice sounded so _childish,_ all faint and nervous. She cracked another smile, but it barely touched her lips.

The hesitant smile that flickered across his face matched just how she felt - but soon his face settled back into something stoic and _blank._ "I was supposed to hire you for a job, but I guess the situation has changed."

"Yeah." Nora felt a frown crease her brows. Pre-war she had hardly ever frowned - and prided herself on her line-free complexion - but now it seemed like all she did was frown. "Uh, what's your name?"

"Edward Deegan."

Nora opened her mouth to reply - but the words seemed stuck in her throat, lodged there and refusing to break free. Instead she simply swallowed and pursed her lips closed. This wasn't how meeting your soulmate was supposed to go - where was the romance, the excitement, the _wonder?_ He didn't even look like he wanted to be there at all. Was he disappointed? Tears pricked the corner of her eyes and she turned away to blink them back. 

If there was one thing she had learned about the Commonwealth, it was not to cry. Ever.

She felt his gaze burning into her, pale grey-blue eyes unblinking. After a moment Edward cleared his throat - and when she finally looked up, it was _his_ turn to drop his gaze. "Why don't we sit down in the Third Rail? It's cold out here."

Nora quirked a thick brow, but said nothing. The breeze was pleasant and the humidity of the afternoon still lurked in the air - but he was _trying,_ at least, so did it matter if he had to bullshit about the weather to get her inside? A smile graced her face and this time it felt __real,__ her chest bubbling excitedly as she said, "sure, I'd like that."

Maybe this wasn't going as horribly as she thought!

They slipped inside together, ignoring Ham's questioning look as they made their way to the ancient escalator. Edward was a warm and solid presence by her side - and as he took long, loping strides down to the lower level she realised just how _enormous_ he was. Nora wasn't small herself; she had built up muscle during her time in the Commonwealth and quickly grown into a tall, broad shouldered woman that towered over the likes of Hancock's skinny frame. But _Edward,_ he was a whole other league of buff.

It was kind of nice to watch him from behind as he walked, noticing the way the chunky armour clung to his frame. And those jeans hugged him _really_ well.

Things were beginning to look up. Until her feet touched the last step and she watched as Edward collapsed onto the nearest chair. When he gestured for her to sit across from him his face was solemn, eyes hard.

Nora gulped and tried to ignore the way her stomach lurched as she sat. Resting her elbows on the table she laced her fingers together, chin propped on large hands. "Why so glum?" she questioned - and though she kept her tone light, the waver in her voice gave away her nerves. Suddenly it felt as if the entire bar was judging them; it didn't matter that no one even seemed to notice their existence.

Edward's lips curled; a movement so tiny most people would have missed it, but Nora spent enough time around ghouls to notice the little quirks on mostly unreadable faces. He held her gaze; grey-blue and hazel brown. Then a hand came up to press a flat palm to his temple and he sighed. "There's no easy way to say this."

"This being?" Nora questioned in a voice so faint she wondered if he had heard her over the chatter of the bar at all. All around them people talked and laughed and drank - and a place that once seemed so homely now felt foreign.

He huffed out a breath. Though his face was a mask of stern calmness, Nora knew it was a lie. After all, how _could_ someone be so calm when faced with their soulmate? Eventually he sat up, thick arms spread across the table and for a moment she thought he was going to reach out to her. Instead he plucked a lighter from the ashtray and retreated back. "I came here to ask you for a job. I didn't realise it was you that was my soulmate. The job offer is still open if you want to know more, but-"

"But you're not interested in soulmates," Nora snapped back - and her lips curled, eyes narrowing until only a sliver of hazel was left. "Well, you can shove that job up your ass." Fire burned in her gut and it felt as if she was being swallowed whole, burned to a crisp right there on the spot. The chair screeched above the din of the bar as she shoved it back; then she was on her feet, towering above Edward for the first time, hands flat against the table though they urged to curl into fists. "I don't know what your problem is and I don't want to, but I've been looking forward to meeting my soulmate for two hundred __fucking years.__  If this is how you feel, you better find someone else for this job of yours."

He opened his mouth as if to speak but no words came. Instead he dropped his eyes - and for a moment Nora thought she saw guilt flicker across his features. 

Not that she cared. With a strangled swear that sounded more like a hiss, Nora pushed herself away from the table. The table shook from the force and the leg clattered into her chair - but she hardly paid attention to it, or to the way the entire bar seemed to hush around her. Within moments, she was gone.

Ham met her at the top of the escalator, brows knitted in what might have been concern. "That was _your_ voice I heard shouting." His tone held no malice, unusually gentle for a man so  stern.

"Yeah. So what?" Nora shot back - but already the fire was fizzling out to nothing. She was just _empty._ Dark eyes met Ham's and a look of understanding passed between them. She didn't need to ask to know he had figured it out.

"Get some sleep. Things always look better in the morning."

Sure. Rejection from her _soulmate,_ that was something so easily fixed, right? She scrunched her nose and bit back her snappish response - though from the way her throat closed up and tears sprung to her eyes, speech seemed impossible anyway. Turning, Nora wiped her eyes on her sleeve and shoved down the uneasiness settling in her gut. "Thanks, Ham," she replied simply.

As she exited the Third Rail and the cool breeze ruffled her hair, she wondered if Edward might come after her. She hovered there on the steps waiting, __hoping,__ but no one pushed past those double doors, no one raced to her to apologise in a rough, guilt-ridden voice. It was just her, the gentle breeze, and a deserted street.

\--------------------

Hushed voices reached her ears - wordless, jumbled voices but even in her half-asleep state she recognised Hancock's accent as it drifted up the stairs. 

Nora rolled out of bed, uncaring for her rat's nest of thick brunette curls or the torn tank top and shorts that passed for pyjamas. She padded over to the door on bare feet and oh so slowly cracked it open to peek her head outside. If only the wasteland provided glasses, she might have been able to make out the vaguely familiar human shape standing in the entrance. 

"She's asleep, and I ain't waking her up for a mug like _you._ " Hancock's voice rose, the untamed  _ _anger__ so unfamiliar that for a moment Nora's brain stuttered to a halt. Hancock was the most relaxed guy she knew - what the hell was going on?

Nora simply hovered in the hall, feet cold against the wooden floor. Who was he talking to? And why did the voice sound so familiar even though she couldn't hear his words? She hopped from foot to foot, old floorboards creaking under her weight - before huffing out a sigh and creeping to the stairs.

"I'm not here to start a fight," the man spoke, and his voice was so _restrained_ but the cold undertone of menace was undeniable. "But if I have to, I will."

From where they stood, neither men saw Nora as she dropped into a crouch by the railing - nor did they hear her as she sucked in a breath. _Edward._ The man standing in the entrance was Edward Deegan. Her soulmate.

Heat surged in her gut as she hauled herself to her feet - and both head snapped up to watch with wide eyes as she stared Edward down. Silence surrounded all three, thick and claggy in the State House.

"Nora-"

"Save it." With that she spun, ignoring how her bare feet slid on the floor - and without a single look back she stormed back to her room and slammed the door with enough force the floor _shook._ It was like the house itself was cowering from her.

The door barely closed before she collapsed. The makeshift bedroom was hers and _only_ hers - and she was quietly thankful that Hancock had created this space for her. Edward wouldn't _dare_ come in here and Hancock wouldn't allow it. Tears sprung to her eyes at the thought of his name and the first rolled down her cheek to splash against her bare collarbone. With a grunt she wiped it away, blinking until her vision cleared.

She wasn't going to cry over a man - especially a man that didn't give a shit about her. Even if that man was her soulmate. The Commonwealth was a harsh, cruel place; why was this any different to the rest of the bullshit she was put through?

At least things downstairs had quietened.

No sooner had the thought crossed her mind when the house shook, the force of the entrance door cracking shut so ferocious a yelp left Nora's lips. The booming slam lasted barely a second but it left her ears ringing and her chest pounding - and then there was only silence.

Deep, calming breaths followed. She didn't want Hancock to see her like this - she was a _mess _.__ Sure, she had seen him in all kinds of drug induced hazes and he had seen her drunk out of her mind but __this,__ this kind of mess was for her knowledge only. Her breath wobbled as she blew out that breath, hands shaking as she brushed dark hair from her face. If only showers still existed; Pre-war, she had always taken a shower to sort through her messes.

Instead all she had was a cracked bathtub in the corner of the room and the lingering sense that even hot water wouldn't alleviate her problems.

"Nora?"

The voice, so soft and quiet, elicited a jump. Her knee collided with the door and she let out a hiss as pain shot through her leg. " _What?_ " she barked as she edged away from the door.

"He's gone," Hancock replied simply, voice muffled by the rotting wood between them. "Chased him off for you."

Nora huffed - and despite the uneasiness still crawling under her skin, she smiled. "Thanks."

"Anything for my favourite travel buddy. You want breakfast?"

Her stomach rumbled in response and she heard a laugh muffled by a fist. Nose curling, Nora replied, "I'll pass. I need to take a walk or something, get out of Goodneighbour for a while."

"Want me to come with? I love an adventure."

"No," Nora snapped - and then she sighed, guilt curling in her gut. "There's a place I wanted to check out up North. I'd rather go it alone."

Hancock said nothing, which was incredibly odd for him. No sarcastic comeback or fun quip. She thought she heard him sigh quietly, but could have been the old house settling. Then, "your choice, kid. Just come back in one piece. Take any supplies you need."

"Thanks," Nora replied - and she pressed a palm flat against the door, only to be met with Hancock's retreating footsteps.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like this chapter is kind of a hot mess, so I might go back and edit it at some point. I'm mostly just trying to finish something before Christmas because I have something pretty much every day from Christmas Eve to the fifth of January and won't get much writing done <3


	3. Chapter 3

 The sentry bot hovered behind her, so close it was almost as if it was _watching_ her. Combine it with the faded sign telling her not to walk on the grass, and for a split second Nora thought _what if it's the gardener?_

The thought caused a snort to rise up, erupting in a burst of laughter muffled by her gloved hand. Then a thought occurred to her. If a Mr Handy was able to garden, why __not__ a sentry?

Even though she shook her head, the silly smile stayed imprinted on her lips. At least it meant someone probably lived nearby - assuming the bot's owner was still alive - and maybe they could tell her where to find this damn asylum. Her gaze shifted from one enormous house to the other, squinting dark hazel eyes.

Then her eyes landed on the last house - just as towering and stunning as the others in this area, but there was something different about it. The windows were just a little bit cleaner, the door a little less twisted in it's frame. The speaker outside looked in working order, too.

Nora moved closer, watching her feet as if minding the grass _actually_ mattered. Her thumb pressed the speaker on instinct, long redundant pre-war etiquette coming into play for the first time in, well, two hundred years.

"Yeah?" The voice on the other end was crackly, scratchy but oddly familiar. 

Nora paused, head tilted in concentration. She _definitely_ knew that voice, but where from?

"Hello?"

"Oh, sorry," Nora apologised, "I'm just looking for directions. Thought this was kind of a long shot, but I guess not."

"Directions where?"

"Parsons State Insane Asylum?" The word __i_ nsane _tasted sour on her tongue - what an outdated term! - but she supposed there were more things backward in this Wasteland than just that.

There was a pause - drawn out for so long, Nora wondered if he was even going to reply. Then, "The door's unlocked. Come in."

"Thank you," Nora replied - but the person was already gone. Hesitantly she placed a hand against the door handle - and sure enough it creaked open to reveal a long, elegant corridor that must have looked _gorgeous_ before the war. It even managed to look pretty good now. Nora scanned it, noticing the peeling wallpaper and the little side table pushed against the wall - and then the man beside it, towering so tall he seemed to stretch up to the ceiling.

_Edward Deegan._

The only words to leave her lips were, "oh fuck."

His eyes narrowed, milky iris' holding her gaze - though it was impossible to miss how his hands clenched, or how he sucked in a breath at the sight of her.

Rage boiled in her chest and it threatened to spill, rising by the _second._ Those eyes, that __face,__ the stupid fucking armour - every single thing about him made her want to scream, or punch, or storm out and slam the door so hard it was torn from its hinges. 

"Nora?" As rough and scratchy as his voice was he kept it hushed, like she was a startled animal he didn't want to scare away.

It only made her want to punch him _more._

"The hell are __you__ doing here?" she demanded - and her fists clenched, itching to grab something and _hurl it_ across the hall. Instead she folded her arms across her chest, pressing her back against the cool wall. 

"I __live__ her," he shot back - and those bloodshot eyes narrowed as he pursed his lips. For a moment he looked like he was about to say more - but Edward kept silent.

Great. She had gone on this trip to _stop_ thinking about him and here she was - forced into his company once more. Did the Wasteland really hate her that much?

"Look, I just wanted directions to the Asylum, because apparently my Pip-Boy doesn't have a clue. I guess two hundred years has messed up the map a bit." Hazel eyes stared him down - though there was dampness in the corners that threatened to spill.

His hand reached up to tug at the worn cap he wore. His face, blank as ever, didn't give even a flicker of emotion. "Actually, that mission I was supposed to recruit you for - it was there."

"Then I guess I won't be going after all." Short nails dug into her arm as she spun, digging half moons into soft flesh even through her thick sweater. She reached for the door, still wide open - but a firm hand on her shoulder and she froze. "Get off me."

The hand dropped, feet shuffled - and then Edward was in front of her, filling the doorway with broad shoulders that any other time, could have made Nora __swoon.__ "Look, if you would just _shut up and listen,_ then you might realise that this mission is fucking important."

"So? Do it yourself then." Nora craned her neck, dark eyes meeting pale blue ones, and refused to back down.

He met her gaze and that careful blankness slipped so briefly she could have imagined it - but for just a moment he _crumbled._ "I know you always help those in need. So don't go ignoring your own morals because you're pissed."

Heat rose within her and she stiffened, eyes narrowed almost to slits. She had to give him credit - he knew __just__ what buttons to push. Nora kept silent, strong - but eventually she had to look away. Defeated, her shoulders slumped. "Fine. Tell me what I have to do."

"I'll take you to Jack."

* * *

"Your family is _four hundred_ years old?"

"Or thereabouts. Honestly, we've stopped keeping track of the exact year."

Nora's wide eyes stayed fixed on Jack, lips parted - but no words left her. Pre-War ghouls, cryo chambers - those were all things she had learned to accept. But a whole family of people so incredibly old, barely ageing a single day, since long before the war. That was something else."That's incredible!"

"It is," Jack replied with a brief smile, "but it hasn't been easy for us. This artefact - it has controlled my father for far too long, and he's only getting worse. You understand why we have to do this?"

Nora ran a hand through her thick curls and the smile slipped from her face. "He's your __father.__ You can't really want him dead."

"I don't." Jack dropped his gaze. His hands, folded neatly on his lap, clenched. "I'm afraid it's our only option. You understand I've tried __everything__ else."

A sigh slipped from her lips as her entire body drooped. To have to go through this - not just for years or decades but _centuries _-__ Nora couldn't possibly understand what this man had been through. So, as awful as this was, her mind was made up. "I'll do it. I don't want to but... I will. I'll even put up with Edward if it means helping you."

Jack's face brightened - but it was a forced, sad kind of smile that touched the corner of his lips. "Thank you. You have no idea how much this means to me."

No, she didn't. How could she understand? But she was __trying.__ With a heavy breath, Nora hauled herself to her feet. "Then let's go. Where's Edward?"

"Already there, I imagine. I sense something is... strange between the two of you, so I asked him to go ahead of us."

Nora let out a snort, rolling her eyes - but her chest tightened. "Understatement. Did he tell you we're soulmates?"

The look on his face was one of pure surprise - his lips hung open and it was clear he had no words. Finally he sat back and dropped his head into his hands. "No, Edward has never spoken much about soulmates. We're old, all of us - older than should be possible. There was never any reason to think our soulmates were still out there."

Pins and needles spread across Nora's hands as her fists tightened, little crescent moons forming on her palms. She sat there with her head down, whole body perfectly still - until a gasp left her lips and her eyes shot down. Blood was crusted underneath her fingernails.

"Are you all right?" Immediately Jack was on his feet.

Nora simply stood, wiping her hands on faded jeans. "Fine. Let's go."

* * *

The crooked doors creaked on rusted hinges as Nora pushed them open. The dull sound seemed echoed through the vast building, bouncing off the towering ceiling and walls. 

Nora shivered as her hand dropped, the blue light of her Pip-Boy shining into the darkness. The place was so vast the light didn't even reach the far wall - it just tapered off into nothingness. Grey lumps of unknown debris lurked in the corners like something waiting to strike.

"Edward should have began-"

Nora shot out a hand, clamping it tight over Jack's mouth. " _ _Not now!__ We don't know what could be hiding in here." She cast him a withering look that was lost to the blackness of the asylum. Didn't this man know how __dangerous__ this was?

Thankfully when she slipped her hand free Jack didn't say another word - he simply pushed his glasses up his nose and rose an indignant brow. 

An hour ago she thought he was sweet; now she knew he was just a haughty snob.

She ignored his stare as she crept forward, careful with her feet. One step, then two, then three - and then she was officially inside the asylum.

Rotting wood and fallen beams littered the floor, probably lying there untouched for decades. Even though she had to squint to see, it was clear how decayed this place was. The Cabot House had survived the years well; this place wasn't much more than a moulding, ruined _shell._ At least nothing had fallen on them yet.

"If we go through those doors, we can-"

" _Shh!_ " Nora hissed - and it took all of her self restraint not to whirl around and shove him back outside. She _needed him,_ but that didn't mean she wanted him there. "Please, keep quiet."

Barely a beat passed before a quiet groan met her ears and Nora winced, turning to give Jack a piece of her mind - but the noise wasn't coming from behind her. It was coming from another room, drifting through a set of rotting doors to their left. Huh.

Her hand found the cool, smooth surface of her pistol as she crept forward, feet silent against the cracked wood beneath her. Jack's footsteps plodded along behind her, each step a beacon broadcasting their location to whoever - or __whatever -__ was in this place.

As her hands found the door and pushed it open, Nora peeked into the next room. A heavy shape sat in the middle - probably a desk, complete with a long broken terminal. Squinting Nora scanned the room - but no one jumped out at them, no one brandished a knife or raised a gun.

"See, this place is empty. Now let's hurry." Jack's voice shattered the careful silence - and then he pushed past her, striding into the room like he owned the place. Well, she supposed with a spark of irritation, at one time he _did._

"Don't you understand the concept of _quiet?_ " she muttered, "I swear, you're-"

" _Edward!_ "

Nora froze, eyes snapping to the dim figure of Jack as he rushed deeper into the room. Something was wrong. That wasn't the voice of someone glad to see their friend, it was the voice of - oh shit, he was __hurt.__

"What happened?" Jack's voice was shrill, piercing through the darkness and _too loud._ If anyone was nearby, they knew someone was here. 

But if Edward was hurt, they _already_ knew.

Nora hesitated for a moment, lingering by the door - and then she swore softly, delving into the room. The blue light of her Pip-Boy cast across the walls, peeling and crumbling, before catching the huddled shapes of Jack and Edward by the desk. 

Oh, it was _bad._ Blood pooled on the floor, poured through the hand clutched to his side, dripped from a ragged hole in his armour. It shined bright red as it seeped into the cracks in the floor.

"Dammit. Here, I have stimpaks," he words spilled from her mouth as she dropped to her knees, gloved hands fumbling for the pouch strapped to her belt. Clumsy fingers couldn't unzip the pouch and her glove snagged. " _ _Fuck.__ "

"I don't need your stimpaks," Edward replied - but the breathlessness in his voice was enough to make Nora stop in her tracks.

Dark eyes snapped up, roving across Edward's face - for a sign that he was okay, that this wasn't as bad as it looked. Instead she was met with a pained wince and white-blue eyes that looked too cloudy, too unfocused even for a ghoul.

It was then that Nora realised, with a strike directly to her heart, that she __couldn't__ lose him. Not now, after being so awful to him and not _here,_ in this shitty asylum, and not until she had the chance to make things right.


	4. Chapter 4

 Blood soaked and shivering, Nora bent over Edward and pressed a firm hand to his wounds. She wasn't a doctor or a nurse, didn't know jack shit other than vague memories of a first aid course she took when she was twenty. But that course was all she had, and she _wasn't_ going to let him die. "Jack," she ordered, "go into my bag. Get Med-x and whatever bandages you can find."

Jack said nothing as he rummaged - and Nora was grateful. Moments later a syringe clattered to the ground by her feet, Jack's pale hands shaking in the corner of her vision. "Here, you only had one. And no bandages."

_Fuck._

"I told you I don't need any of that," Edward added - but his voice shook and he looked so very far away, on the verge of unconsciousness. He rolled his eyes but the attempt at indifference was interrupted by a grunt of pain, lips twisting into a scowl.

"You're taking the stimpaks _and_ the med-x," she told him - and her voice was strong but the hammering in her chest was so fierce, her own words sounded dull and far away. "Jack, keep pressure on the wound while I get a stimpak into him." Her arms were beginning to ache but that thought was in the back of her mind as Jack settled beside her, his broad hands pressing into Edward's side.

Another strangled noise left Edward's lips and her heart lurched. It was like his pain was her own, a dull ache spreading through her torso and growing with every second. If she pulled up her shirt, Nora was almost certain she would see a mark.

Her eyes flickered to Jack's hands, already slick with blood - and then to Edward's face, pale beneath the ghoulish scarring. Her breath shuddered and her hands shook as she wrestled with the cap of the stimpak's syringe. The cap slipped from her bloody fingers and rolled off into the darkness behind the desk - but she had her prize, the all important med-x. "Okay," she said, keeping her voice soft, "don't pass out on me now, got it? We have a lot to talk about."

"So __now__ you wanna talk."

She ignored him, lips curling. He was joking __now,__ while bleeding out on some shitty hardwood floor in an insane asylum?

The needle slid into his gnarled skin effortlessly as Nora depressed the syringe - and the relief was _instant._ These old world drugs had one hell of a kick, and Nora felt the effects herself as she watched Edward relax. Her breath escaped her in a gasp that rattled through the silent room, and she let the empty med-x drop to the floor with a clatter.

Nora knew that if she looked, she would have seen the wound knit itself back together. Skin and flesh pinching together, rewriting itself until only a fraction of the wound remained.

Jack collapsed back, his lab coat stained and ruined, but the grin on his face showed nothing but _relief._ Nora was sure her own expression must have matched because he met her gaze and sighed. He seemed to forget his hands were bloody as he ran one through his hair, leaving a red streak across his forehead.

Laughter bubbled up in Nora's throat and she stuffed it down, only the corner of her lips quirking despite the wobble in her hands as she reached across to Edward. "See? Stimpaks solve everything. Now for med-x." 

Her hands were unsteady as she scooped up the med-x, blood streaking across the glass syringe. Then a pair of red-drenched hands took it from her. Nora opened her mouth to argue - but when her eyes met Jack's she simply nodded. She collapsed back, dimly aware of the fact that her arms felt like jelly as they dropped to her side.

Silence descended on them - the asylum was soundless. Not even the creaking of ancient wooden floorboards disturbed them as Jack helped Edward sit up.

"Close call," Jack muttered - and his voice reverberated against the walls, an echoing shout in the silence. 

Nora didn't have any energy to tell him to shut up, not that time. Instead she replied, "too close. If we had been two minutes later..." The rest of her sentence went unsaid, but she didn't __need__ to say it. "What happened to the guy that shot you?"

"He bailed, didn't hang around to see if I was dead or not," Edward replied with a shrug - that ended in a wince. Clasping a rugged hand to his side, Edward cringed.

"Well, I should head up to deal with him, and the rest. Your dad, too." Her gaze shifted to Jack, "you take him home. I have it from here." Nora's body felt heavier than lead as she tugged herself to her feet, arms sluggish as she crossed her arms. "I'll come back to the house when I'm done."

"My father can wait. If I remember correctly, you and Edward have 'a lot to talk about'."

Pursing her lips, Nora said nothing. She stared him down, ignoring the way her chest lurched at those words, until Jack dipped his gaze to the floor.

"He's right. If a near death experience doesn't make people talk, what does?"

Dark eyes shot to Edward, narrowed beneath heavy lids. "I didn't ask you, did I?" she snapped - but then she saw the dark circles under his eyes, the blood still soaking through his torn up armour, and deflated. "Fine. Give us a minute, Jack?"

The open door led to complete darkness, only the vague silhouettes of debris visible from where they sat. Jack cast a long, wary look - but then nodded silently. He left without a word - but Nora didn't miss how he turned back, eyes flickering between her and Edward as he disappeared.

Jack was fine. Flighty and probably useless in a fight, but fine. A good soul under all that old-world arrogance.

It was more than she could say for Edward - but they were __soulmates,__ and she had been such a dick to him this entire time. It was time she gave him a chance.

"So," Nora started; and she lowered herself down onto the dusty old desk. It didn't crumble away under her admittedly large weight, or even creak under the stress. She pulled her feet up, crossed at the ankles, and pursed her lips. Where to __begin?__ "Look, I'm still going to do this thing for Jack because I promised, and there's a __lot__ of caps in it for me. After that, I don't know. Guess I'm going back to Goodneighbour."

"Just like that?"

"Yup."

Edward shifted in the dark, his silhouette betraying the way he gripped his side. Then he was settling down beside her - and the desk _did_ creak ominously, wood straining under their weight. He barely acknowledged it.

Edward didn't speak. Neither did Nora. In the darkness and the silence everything seemed so still, almost _peaceful_ and a shiver ran through her.

The next words left her lips without thought, a flurry of babble she __couldn't__ stop even as she heard her own voice rattle in her skull. "I'm sorry I was an ass to you, but I had been dying to meet you for __weeks__ and then you stormed into my life and flipped it on it's head. Meeting your soulmate isn't as romantic as people make it seem, huh?"

He let out a chuckle; only to wince as it turned into a grunt. Nora reached out but he waved her off. "I'm fine, just going to hurt for a couple days."

"Might stop you from running into _more t_ rouble," she quipped back. 

"If I'm stuck with you, I might not have a choice."

Nora's heart skipped, hands fisting by her sides. "What? __Now__ you want to do something about this whole soulmate thing. Don't forget, __you__ were the one who-"

" _ _You__ were the one that stormed out," Edward shot back, voice rising. Even with dark surrounding them it was impossible to miss the narrowed eyes, the curled lip. "You fucked off before I had the chance to say a damn thing."

"Well maybe if you hadn't been so damn flippant, I would have stayed." Her hands curled, grabbing onto the desk and it __hurt,__ fingers aching. "You didn't want it then, why now?"

"Why _not_ now?"

The question stunned her into stillness. Lips parted but no words came out - instead Nora just stared, hazel eyes locking onto his bloodshot ones. He had a point. God damn she hated it, but he _did_ have a point. After all, wasn't she the one who wanted to talk to __him?__ Nora blew out a breath, which only caused dark hair to fall into her eyes. Flicking it away, she dropped her gaze. "Fine. So what do we do now?"

Edward shrugged, his own eyes downcast. Despite his towering frame he seemed small in the cavernous room, head bowed and hand pressed into his side. It was __weird,__ but not all unwelcome. "I wanted to get this mission out of the way first, but __that__ obviously isn't happening."

"Nope, so keep talking." Nora nudged his leg, allowing herself a soft smile, "no more worming our way out of this."

"Look Nora, I'm a pre-war ghoul. When you've been around as long as me, you start to think maybe this whole soulmate thing is overrated."

 _ _Another__ rejection? Seriously? All this just to tell her - _again _-__ that he wasn't interested. What kind of idiotic, cruel piece of shit-

"But I want to give it a go. Just... don't get your hopes up, yeah? Being stuck with a grumpy old ghoul isn't anyone's first choice."

Nora's mind went blank. So this _wasn't_ some elaborate rejection? If he __wanted__ this, why didn't he just say from the beginning, instead of acting like she was his least favourite person on the earth?

Oh. She really __had__ walked out on him before he had the chance to speak, hadn't she? 

A low groan slipped from her lips as she dropped her head into her hands, eyes pinching shut. What an __idiot.__ No wonder he had been so hostile to her; Nora hadn't been sunshine and roses herself. If she had just let him talk instead of storming out...

"Uhh, Nora?"

She ran a hand through her hair; and it was still sticky with drying blood, bits flaking off into her curls, but she spared only a second to wipe her hands on her jeans. "Fucking hell, I'm a moron."

Edward quirked a brow as if in silent agreement, torn lips quirking in the closest she had seen to a smile. "I won't argue there."

"Shut up, asshole," she muttered - but there was no venom in her voice. At least the darkness hid her rosy cheeks from his accusing eyes. "So this whole time you've actually been serious about this soulmate thing, and I've just been too dense to see it?"

Another shrug. "Well after the first disaster I knew not to bring it up. Thought once you'd cooled off - but then Hancock made it pretty clear to stay clear."

Hancock. Her best friend, protective to a fault, and the biggest inconvenience to her life. "He means well," she replied, and a soft snort left her, "but he's just as dense as I am." 

"Obviously."

"I can't believe I nearly lost my soulmate because I was too stupid to just _listen_ for like, five minutes." Which really wasn't that uncommon. Preston always criticised her temper, her ability to argue with literally anyone. He wasn't the only one, either.

When she looked up Edward was smiling - and it was such an unfamiliar expression on his rugged features, but the quirk of his lips and the crinkling at the corner of his eyes was so __handsome.__

That thought alone was enough to give Nora pause. When had she started thinking like _that?_

"A-anyway," Nora interrupted her own thoughts and yes, her voice wobbled; but that could have been because of _anything _.__ "We should do this later, when I don't have to fight a hundred raiders and a four hundred year old immortal."

She slipped off the desk and stuck out a hand - a hand that Edward took, his skin warm to the touch. Then he leaned forward - and Nora didn't know what to expect but it __wasn't__ for him to ruffle her hair, or to put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "You'll do great. Jack and I will wait outside for you."

She __could__ have told him to go back to Cabot House, to check his injury and take another stimpak; but instead she huffed out a sigh and rolled her eyes. "Thanks, Edward."

"Don't mention it. You might be a pain in my ass, but that doesn't mean I want you to get hurt."

She swatted his arm, lips fighting the broad grin desperate to break through. "Yeah, right back at you. Jerk."

* * *

Two hours later Nora stumbled from Parson's State Asylum with blood splashed across her jacket and dripping from the combat knife clutched in her hands. Surrounding her was only blackness, dead trees looming ahead. Distantly, bloatflies buzzed past.

"Nora?"

Her gaze flickered up to rest on Jack, his white lab coat shining in the darkness. Wiping a hand across her face only smeared the blood, but she paid it no mind. "It's all taken care of. Shit Jack, I'm sorry."

His features scrunched, arms folded protectively across his chest. "It's for the best. Thank you, Nora."

Behind him, Edward frowned.

There were no words to console him, not when she had just _killed_ his father. So she simply nodded, gaze lowered, and shoved the knife into the strap across her thigh. As she trudged past she placed a soft hand against his shoulder, wishing for all the world it might help.

Edward met her half way and Nora imagined him stretching out his arms to embrace her, letting her collapse into him. Of course that didn't happen - this wasn't some old world romance movie where everything turned out perfect in the end. He was careful, though, as he swept an arm under her elbow as she stumbled. "You look exhausted."

"Thanks," she replied with a roll of her eyes, "I feel it."

"Stay the night," he offered. As he guided her to a rotted park bench he realised his words - and the look on his face was so _priceless_ Nora fought back a tired laugh. "Shit, you know what I mean. Cabot House has enough bedrooms to squeeze you in." He rubbed the back of his neck, eyes averted like he couldn't bear to look at her.

Nora's legs gave way as she collapsed onto the bench. Her knees ached like she was an old woman, her eyes burned like she had been awake for days, and she sure as hell wasn't walking back to Goodneighbour now. Besides, Edward was kind of __cute__ when he was flustered. "Sure, I'll stay," she replied, eyes sparkling, "how could I turn down an offer like that?"

Edward grunted, eyes narrowing as if he couldn't __quite__ make out her intentions. He said nothing - but her reply elicited a delightful little flush barely visible beneath his ghoulish skin. 

"I mean the pre-war house, dummy," she replied with a snort. Even so, it would be real nice to curl up against his solid chest, tuck herself between those strong arms. Jeez, she was getting ahead of herself. A blush plumed across her cheeks and it must have been __scarlet,__ so much brighter than the subtle tint to Edward's own face. 

"Hey you two, we should start the journey home if you want to get any sleep tonight."

Her eyes snapped to the silhouette of Jack fidgeting by the asylum's entrance. He was jittery, nervous, not that she blamed him. He'd been through a lot.

But so had she, and she deserved a moment to herself. Or to herself and Edward, as it was.

"Give us a minute?" she questioned.

Jack sighed and she heard it even from meters away; but he nodded and said no more.

"We should go, you know-"

"I want to try something first. Bend down for me?"

There were unasked questions in his eyes but Edward did as she asked, leaning until they were eye level. It couldn't have been comfortable but he didn't complain, just raised a brow in question.

Well, it was now or never. Nora's heart fluttered in her chest and oh, __that__ wasn't something she was used to. Nerves, over this? She huffed out a small breath that bloomed in front of her - and then closed her eyes, bringing her lips to Edward's.

His lips were thick with scarring and his skin was tough. He was also warm - almost __hot -__ and when a hand reached up to cup her waist there was a softness there she hadn't expected. He wasted no time pulling her closer, deepening the kiss until his teeth nibbled at her lower lip and __christ,__ Nora had never felt like this in her life.

When they pulled away Nora couldn't fight the grin, or the laugh that left her lips or the way her legs felt like they were about to give out. A hand gripped his uninjured side, the other snaking up to curl at the back of his neck. When she looked up, eyes meeting, Edward's grin matched her own.

"Can you two stop making out so we can go home, _please?"_

Nora let out a snort of laughter and dropped her head onto Edward's shoulder. Chuckles of his own reverberated, shaking through Nora until both were giggling like children, laughter slipping from their lips.

"Sure, we're coming! Don't be such a buzzkill." The last giggle left her and then Nora stood on her toes to give Edward one last lingering kiss on the lips.

Suddenly everything felt okay. More than okay. Amazing. Maybe this soulmate thing could work out, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took me a thousand years because of course I couldn't finish this in time for Christmas, but here's the finale! I don't know how I feel about this fic, so I'd appreciate some nice reviews if you can!!


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